Basel, April 1941.
— Hey Paul, are you planning to treat us to another bottle of French wine next time? Because it's delicious.
— Ahh yes, I've got another bottle planned for you, so get your cupboards ready.
— You know, Ruth even painted on the cabinet and wrote wine in big letters.
— Seriously? he adds, laughing.
We start bursting into laughter, and from afar I see Suzanne coming toward us.
— Are you planning on coming to the table? Otherwise Ruth and I are going to eat just the two of us.
— Yes, darling, we're coming.
Ruth and Suzanne had spent the whole afternoon preparing a good roast to celebrate the raise I got at the bakery as well as the one Paul got at the post office, so we decided to celebrate together, and over time we've all become very close.
Sitting at the table, we enjoy the meal amid laughter. I'm happy to be here, surrounded by kind people; I feel so good. And with Ruth, our relationship has become much more concrete. We went out hand in hand to go to the market maybe it's nothing for some, but damn, for me it was absolutely everything. For weeks after that night, she didn't dare look me straight in the eyes, so when she grabbed my hand, my heart skipped a beat, and I held her hand so tight, I didn't want to let go.
— I was wondering, Heinrich, when are you going to ask Ruth to marry you?
So surprised that Ruth and I nearly choked.
— Hum, what? I said, still stunned by the question.
— Well, you've been together for a while now, and it would only make official what everyone already thinks.
I look at Ruth. I could see she hoped I'd say yes, and that she had probably talked to Suzanne about it, which explains everything. But am I ready to become her husband? Am I ready to take responsibility for everything I've done in the past?
— I was planning on asking her, and now you've just ruined everything.
Everyone is shocked, including Suzanne, who finally understands my sentence and starts smiling like crazy.
— Ahhh, that's amazing, finally!
— Congratulations, Heinrich, Paul tells me.
I find Ruth's gaze again. Over time I've discovered that Ruth is very shy about her emotions, but I can clearly see she's happy with my answer, with that little smile.
— We're going to celebrate this with a good bottle of wine.
— Suzanne, that bottle was for Ruth's birthday.
— Oh shut up, this is kind of her birthday present.
Hours later.
— Well, see you tomorrow Ruth, good night to both of you.
— Yeah, and again congratulations on your engagement.
— Thank you very much, we can do this again whenever you want, I said, laughing.
I close the door, happy that the very long evening is finally over it's already one in the morning.
— You really meant it?
— Meant what?
— Oh come on, your proposal, you idiot.
— Oh yes, sorry.
She looks at me, waiting for my answer.
— Yes, I was serious.
She walks toward me slowly, puts her cold hands on my face, and kisses me softly on her tiptoes. The kiss is gentle, and I can feel all her emotions. I place my hands on her face to keep kissing her until I can't breathe anymore. It was the first time she kissed me again, and it felt so good to feel her lips, her softness it was the same feeling I had the time she took my hand.
She lowers her hands to my shirt and begins unbuttoning it. I do the same with her blouse; our movements start becoming faster, one after the other. We were already half-naked when she suddenly stopped kissing me. Surprised, I look at her questioningly. She had a mischievous smile, and she kneeled down in front of me, grabbed my sex, and put it in her mouth.
Instantly, pleasure washed over me; the sensation was just incredible. It was the first time a woman had done that to me, and I can't say it's not enjoyable. I placed my hand on her head and tugged her hair slightly I didn't really mean to, but I don't know, I just needed to do it. A sudden wave of pleasure hit me; I started really enjoying it. She went faster, and so did my climax. I was good, really good. My head fell back, my breathing became ragged and loud I'm sure she heard me because I felt her slow down. I lowered my head to look at her, and her big blue eyes were staring at me. And all at once, I let go.
I was breathless as if I had run. She wiped her mouth and stood back up in front of me. I looked at her with desire I wanted her so badly. She's the first person to make me feel like this, and I love it. I grabbed her face and kissed her again, starving for her. Our kissing led us to the kitchen. I set her on a counter and entered her; a soft moan escaped her lips. I kept going I wanted to give her the pleasure she had given me.
— No, wait.
I stopped, panicking that I might have hurt her.
— I have a better idea, she said, stepping down from the counter.
She turned around, her butt positioned right in front of me. She grabbed it to adjust herself and began moving back and forth, so slowly but so much better. I followed her rhythm, and the pleasure became even more intense. I pulled her hair back to see her reaction better. I went a little faster and started hearing her moan, louder and louder, until she came. I did too. I placed a kiss on her neck as if to thank her for the moment.